TANTOOO.
The Fairy Tale Beanbag.
(Series).
2011
TANTOOO is a fairytale beanbag conceived as a place for reading, writing, and inhabiting stories. Rather than functioning as a conventional piece of furniture, it is designed as a soft spatial condition that invites rest, imagination, and narrative activity.
TANTOOO® features a double lining. The external lining is made of a soft, high-performance fabric originally developed for high-end outdoor sailing upholstery. This material is washable, waterproof, oil-proof, and resistant to sunlight, while maintaining the tactile quality of thick cotton. The internal lining is made of 100% cotton and contains expanded polystyrene beads as padding.
Manufactured in Italy, TANTOOO® is produced on demand and can be shipped worldwide. The name derives from the Italian word “tanto”, meaning “a lot,” referring to its generous size. Following the first edition, a smaller version was introduced under the name TANTINOOO®.
When laid flat, TANTOOO® functions like a couch, adapting softly to the body and allowing rest or sleep. When lifted, it can be used as an oversized armchair. Its animal-like form includes a raised head element that functions as a soft pillow, reinforcing its role as a place for comfort, pause, and imagination.
Activate - TANTOOO activates the body and the imagination through use.
The object exists fully only when inhabited—read, written on, rested in—transforming furniture into a catalyst for narrative and physical engagement.
Vania Ripa, TANTOOO, co-producer/co-founder:
Collaborators: Stefano Massa, Monica Tarocco, Titouan Russo.
Exhibitions:
2015 KIDSROOMZOOM 2015, Super Studio Piu', Milano, Salone Del Mobile, Italy.
2014 MY PROTOTYPE. Ex Fabbrica del Vapore, Milano Salone del Mobile, Milan, Italy.
2014 Pitti Bimbo, Fortezza da Basso, Firenze, Italy.
2014 KIDSROOMZOOM, Milano Salone del Mobile, Italy.
2013 DEGNI DI NOTA. Design Week, Berlin, Germany.
Selected Publications:
- 2013 A. Scarponi, TANTOOO, the fairy tale bean bag, in A. Filippini, Dalla Parte dei Bambini, INTERNI n. 71, April 2013.


















